Iran Is The Friendliest Place On Earth – But How Many Of Us Know That?

Would you host a free public screening of Karun to help spread this message?

Everyone who travels to Iran comes back with the same refrains:

“It’s not the place people think it is!”

“It’s so misrepresented in the media!”

“The Iranian people are the warmest and kindest on Earth!”

Tom Allen, filmmaker

When we went to Iran to film Karun, we knew this.

Our journey was a classic adventure into the unknown – and were it not for the Iranians we met along the way, we would never have made it. We expected this to happen. But we were not prepared for the extent to which this would be true.

Karun tells this story in an entertaining and enlightening 55-minute film, and in doing so reveals the depth and complexity of Iran, exonerates the Iranian people of their misrepresentation in the West, and paints the country as somewhere to put at the very top of your travel hit list.

Leon McCarron, filmmaker

Now we’re reaching out to all who share our belief that Iran’s reputation is ill-deserved.

The plan is simple. We want Karun shown on big screens and small, in every corner of the globe. We reckon this is the best way to redeem those who have been the target of so much Western propaganda.

To do this, we’re recruiting ambassadors to host free community screenings of Karun.

If you’re willing to set up a showing of the film in your hometown, we’ll give you – free of charge – everything you need to do so. You don’t need access to a cinema – cafes, bars, community centres, schools, university lecture theatres all work too; anywhere a big enough screen!

We’re serious about spreading a positive message about Iran. So we’re removing all barriers to organising public screenings of any size or scale, anywhere in the world. This is about the greater good.

Apply Now!

Become a screening ambassador for Karun! Simply click the button and fill out the simple application form. We’ll be in touch to get things up and running.

Host A Screening – F.A.Q.

First and foremost because it’ll be fun! Movie nights are a great way to get like-minded people before and stimulate new conversations among them. As the event organiser, you can choose to be in the thick of it, or you can sit on the sidelines and watch!

Secondly, we suspect you’ll share our belief that the film also contains a strong and timely message that’s relevant to all of us. By hosting a screening, you won’t just be giving the people in attendance a new perspective on Iran – it’ll also have a ripple effect beyond the event, and with our film available to download at any time, that means more people watching the film and learning – as we did – what it’s really like to spend time in this misunderstood nation.

Last but not least, it’s probably a lot easier and less time-consuming than you think – not to mention that it need not cost you a penny!

The simplest answer is – whenever is convenient or suitable for you and your people. We’d recommend the winter season, purely because people are more likely to be looking for indoor activities in the evenings, and because your event will benefit most from the ongoing buzz surrounding the release of the film.

Only if you want it to! Organising a screening can be as simple as finding a function room in a bar with a decent A/V system, creating a Facebook event and inviting everyone you know, and turning up on the night with the film on a USB stick.

If you want to make the event bigger, that’s up to you. You might book a screen at your local independent cinema, sell tickets to cover the costs, hook up with local organisations or businesses, or even get one of us to come along and do a live Q&A session with your audience. The choice is yours!

You’ll be surprised who you’ll find once you start reaching out to local community hubs, venues, and special interest groups, many of whom will already be used to running events like this. But you can’t find someone to help set up a screening, let us know and we’ll do our best to put you in touch with other applicants or relevant people in your area. There’s power in numbers, so let’s work together!

Of course! Nobody needs a qualification to organise a night out with friends, for example. This is exactly the same, just with a film screening involved.

Venues always have someone technical on hand to sort out projectors and sound systems. And Facebook (or Eventbrite, or Brown Paper Tickets) make it as easy as pie for anyone to create an event and promote it to the right people.

Make no mistake – people love movie nights, and will appreciate you going to the effort of organising one!

Throwing a film night is as simple as getting a bunch of people together in a room with a big TV, or better still a projector and a big sound system, and hitting ‘Play’. You can of course make it as big, shiny and cool as you like!

Simply apply as an ambassador and tell us your vision for an event. If it all sounds good, we’ll send you (free of charge):

a screening license,

a high-quality digital copy of the film for projection,

poster, flyer and web banner templates that you can modify and use,

an embeddable trailer you can post on Facebook or elsewhere.

That – plus maybe some popcorn and beer – is everything you need to create a fun and enjoyable event!

Have access to a lecture theatre, hall or community centre? Know a bar with projection facilities who’ll give you a free function room in return for bar takings? Or perhaps your local indie cinema would program the film if you stopped by and requested it? You’ll be surprised how easy it is to find a venue to get some people together and watch a movie.

It’s entirely up to you. You might simply want to show the film over a few beers, or you might wish to hold a film-club-style discussion afterwards. You might also know someone (perhaps you yourself?) who has travelled in Iran and might share their own stories before or after the screening.

Both of us travel for a living (tough life) and our schedules are pretty limited. That said, if either of us are available and in the area when you plan to have a screening, we’d love to talk to you about coming along. We won’t charge a fee, but we will need our travel costs covered as part of you budgeting for the event. Just mention this on the application form if you’re interested.

This is the easy bit! Create a Facebook event and share the link, starting with nearby friends and family, then special interest groups. Make sure your event headline mentions the word “FREE” and you’ll have your seats filled in no time!

There’s also the old-school method of putting up posters and handing out flyers. We’ll even give you the designs to print off! Remember: like-minded people tend to club together. Where do adventurous folk hang out near you?

In our experience, avoid major sporting events like the plague, and avoid good weather when people will want to be outside! This means, of course, that winter is usually a better season for movie nights (unless you hold them outdoors). But generally speaking, 7pm on a weeknight (i.e. after work) is a good bet. Weekends tend to mean more competition and less venue availability if you’re looking for a bar or function room.

Yes! If you’re a geography teacher and are interested in incorporating the story of this river journey into your lesson plans, please get in touch. Educational resources are currently in development, and by contacting us early you can help us shape them to best suit your class’s needs.

Free screening packs are available for public events. If you’d like to screen Karun privately to a small audience (e.g. at home or work), all you need to do is download a copy. It’s then yours to show whoever you like.

If you wish to hold a screening of Karun at a larger or for-profit event, it’s possible to purchase a commercial screening license. Just get in touch!